


For You, I'll Make an Exception

by orphan_account



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Gen, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:00:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22080712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Your lecturer, Will Graham, always says that he'll make an exception for you, nobody else.
Relationships: Will Graham/Reader
Kudos: 113





	For You, I'll Make an Exception

It was eerie, walking down the cold, dark streets, the tall lamps illuminating puddles on the asphalt despite it being seven o'clock and the sun just and just rising; Winter was never the best at the most impressive of times, but today, it was awful. The air was crisp but freezing cold, sneaking in through your clothes to chill your skin, bringing up goose bumps and making the hairs stand on end, upright and stiff like soldiers as you did your best not to shiver and shake and tremble as you marched on through the barren streets; with their fog headlights shining bright and harsh against the cold and lonely streets. Winter was awful. Every car that drove past had you tugging at your hoodie and wincing in hopes that it didn't splash murky and dirty puddle water on you, every step hurt from where you were so cold, you could hardly even use your phone your hands were shaking so much. But you got to your destination soon enough - college. 

It was going to be a nightmare. 

Your first class was with none other than Will Graham - an ex-FBI profiler but now teacher, and while he was your favourite, you dreaded his class that cold Winter morning. His classroom was always so cold, despite the windows never being open and the heating always being on, you knew well enough that it was, as your seat was always beside the radiator. He always acknowledged it, though, and always allowed students to wear their coats and sometimes even brought in hot coffee to share. 

You had around an hour until class, and decided to sit outside the room to catch up, hands trembling as you pulled your knees up to your chest to try and keep warm. You shuddered, fidgeting as you pulled your phone out and began scrolling through social media, hyper aware of the carpet beneath your body and the wall against your back when the door opened, making you look up. 

"You're early," Will said, not even daring to look you in the eyes as he let a smile slip onto his lips. "Do you wanna sit inside? It's probably a lot more comfortable." 

You nodded, standing up and grabbing your bag, following him into the classroom. "Why's it so fucking cold in here all the time?" 

Will shrugged, sitting at his desk with his laptop as you took your seat at the rear of the class. "I don't know." 

You shivered, breath shaky. "How was your weekend?" 

He cleared his throat, masking his frown as he typed away on his laptop. "There's been worse, how was yours?" 

You hummed, putting your phone on the desk and trying to make yourself as comfortable as possible. "Is this a confidential chat, Mr. Graham?" 

Will chuckled softly, adjusting his glasses. "It's confidential, as are all our talks." 

You smiled a little, toying with the hairband on your wrist. "I did a lot of drugs and drank a lot of alcohol, but it was… it was lonely, y'know? I mean, I wasn't alone, but I was… lonely, if that makes sense?" 

Looking up at you, Will nodded and let out a slight hum. "I know the feeling all too well, it makes perfect sense to me… so, was it a party you went to, (Y/L/N)?" 

You sighed and nodded. "Yeah, it was a family thing. You would've enjoyed it, though, there were a couple of dogs there." 

He let out something that sounded like a bark of laughter, yet was void of emotion. "I don't do social events." 

"Neither do I," you hummed. "Tell the truth, I only went because my therapist said I needed to socialise with people other than my dog." 

"You're seeing a therapist?" Will asked with a hidden concern as he turned to face you, his gaze at your face but never once meeting your eyes. 

You nodded, relaxing in your chair a little. "Yeah, I, uh… I was told to go after, y'know, some shit kicked off." 

Will already picked up on your reluctance to talk more in detail and nodded, clearing his throat and looking back at his laptop. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm your… your lecturer, you don't have to tell me anything you don't feel comfortable sharing." 

Biting the inside of your lip, you tugged at the spot of flesh a little. "I'm comfortable sharing most shit with you, you know that. I mean, fuck, you know more than my mates do, at this point." 

Will looked at you, curious and intrigued, still not meeting your eyes as he furrowed his brows. "Why?" 

You let go of your lip, shrugging and leaning your head back a little so as to look up at the ceiling. "I just… I feel like I can trust you, is all, like… like you get it and you understand." 

"Part of what's going on up here," he tapped his temple, "is that I get it and understand more than I'm supposed to." 

You frowned, furrowing your brows. "What do you mean?" 

He shook his head. "Forget it… do you have that assignment I set last week finished?" 

You shook your head. "No, I, uh… tell the truth, I'm struggling with it, Will." 

Will hated it when his students struggled, but most of all, he hated it when you struggled, as he knew how smart you were and that you could do half of his assignments standing on your head. He hated it when you struggled. "Yours is the only class I have today, but I'll be in my office until six. If you want help - and before you ask, no, there won't be anyone else there." 

The fact that Will mentioned you could be alone with him made your heart flutter as you bit your lip again and nodded. "Thanks, Will, I, uh, it's much appreciated - really… most lecturers wouldn't even fucking dare to do the same for their students." 

"Oh, I wouldn't, either," he commented. "But, for you, I'll make an exception." 

\--- 

"For you, I'll make an exception." 

The words ran through your head like a scratched CD throughout class, but while your friends had noticed your distraction and were concerned, Will simply shrugged it off as you being tired, as you being unable to focus - he knew you better than your own friends, which was saying something, and easily picked up on things when it came to you - but he would never have guessed the reason as to why you were distracted, why you were unable to focus, why you were suddenly tired. He couldn't quite wrap his mind around it. It was vexing. For the first time in a while, Will Graham actually found something vexing that didn’t mess with his mental state or his work. It was odd, but that type of odd that was almost exciting - like a surprise birthday party that he knew was going to happen, but not when nor where. 

“Come on, (y/n), you have to admit he’s hot,” your friend, Amy, said as she showed you a picture on her phone. 

You shook your head, clicking your tongue as you sat back in your seat. “No, not really.” 

Your other friend, Patricia, furrowed her brows at the comment. “I think you need to go to the optician.” 

You rolled your eyes, smiling and even daring to let out a little laugh. “If you say so… he’s just not my type, guys.” 

“No,” Amy snorted, smirking a little. “We all know that you prefer olders.” 

“(Y/N),” Will coughed, grabbing yours and your friends' attention. “Amy. Patricia. Please, concentrate on the work.” 

You gave him your best puppy-dog eyes. “Come on, Will, you know we work better when we chat.” 

He bit back a little smile. “Fine. But at least be quiet, please?” 

You grinned, making his heart skip and race without realising it. “Thank you, Sir.” 

Going back to your previous conversation with your friends, you were blissfully ignorant of Will leaving the room and heading into the hallway; outside, he ran a hand through his hair and sighed, leaning against the nearest wall and bowing his head a little. 

The way you smiled, the way you flashed your puppy dog eyes and grinned, the way you called him ‘Sir’, it was all playing on his mind - you were playing on his mind. He thought it was just how he got distracted, how all those little things caught him off guard, but once he got himself together, he went back into the classroom, only to hear something that had him freezing, much like a rabbit caught in headlights. 

“So, you admit you’d fuck Will Graham?” 

“Oi, leave it out!” You chuckled, flicking a pen lid at Amy. 

“I asked a question!” She giggled, letting the lid fall to the floor. 

You rolled your eyes and grinned. “Yeah, well, it’s a question I ain’t answering, you dick!” 

Amy gawked at you for a moment. “I’m not useless! Take that back!” 

"I didn't call you useless!" You cackled. "I called you a dick!" 

"That's the same thing!" She whined as you threw your head back, causing her to bite back a giggle for a moment. 

You laughed along with her for a few moments, long enough for Will to regain his composure again as he cleared his throat and sat back at his laptop. 

“Hey!” He growled, rubbing his temples. “Quiet!” 

You and your friends shared a look, chattering dying down to mere mumbles and whispers as Will sighed and shook his head; it was going to be an awfully long class, followed by an awfully long day. 

\--- 

You and your friends didn't calm down in the slightest, and while Will laughed at the occasional joke that you cracked, he couldn't shake the want to hold you back and talk to you; he didn't, to his own relief and chagrin, but when he went out to the smoking area out the back, he was shocked to see you sat alone. 

"Got a light?" He asked, waiting for you to hold up your clipper lighter for him. "Thanks… where are the girls?" 

You cocked a brow, shrugging and taking the lighter back. "Home. They finished after your class, but I'm stuck here 'til maths finishes." 

Will nodded, sitting beside you and taking a drag from his cigarette; he didn't often smoke, but every now and then, he needed a little bit of nicotine to get him through the longer days. "What time does maths start?" 

You checked your phone. "In an hour." 

He hummed, tongue darting out to wet his lips as he considered whether or not to give the offer of letting you sit in his office for the sixty minutes. "You're more than welcome to come sit in my office for a while." 

You smiled a little, nodding. "Cheers… I was gonna go up t'pub after having a smoke, but that sounds way better." 

He chuckled softly, looking at you for a moment, but when you were about to look at him, he dropped his gaze to the asphalt. "It's no problem - like I said earlier, for you, I'll make an exception." 

The four words almost made your heart burst as you struggled to clear your throat and not look into it more than what you should have. "Am I alright to still swing by after maths? I mean, so you can help me with that assignment?" 

Will nodded, ashing his cigarette beside his muddy and worn boot. "Of course." 

You bit back a smile. "You're the fuckin' best, Sir." 

Oh, he wished you wouldn't call him that, as it made his head swim with thoughts that were far from safe from work. He shifted. "I bet you say that to all your lecturers." 

You scoffed, shaking your head. "Fuck off! None of my other lecturers are like you - they're not… they don't y'know…" 

Somehow, amongst the stuttering and the mumbling, Will understood, perhaps a bit more than he should have. "I know." 

You finished your cigarette, following him up to his office, and taking a seat right at the front beside him; you kicked your feet up on the nearest desk, leaning back against the uncomfortable faux leather seat, and brought your phone out. You checked all your social media, jealous that your friends had all gone home and were having fun while you had to handle maths. 

Will sat at his desk, typing away on his laptop, when he looked over at you, and tutted. "Feet off the desk, (Y/L/N)." 

You chuckled, draping your legs across his lap, instead, and failing to notice how he clenched his jaw and did his best not to relax and smile. "Better?" 

Will sighed. "I guess." 

"Come on, lighten up," you jested. "Tomorrow, you've got me all to yourself, anyways." 

Cocking a brow, Will looked at you, yet refused to lock eyes. "What do you mean?" 

"The trip," you prodded. "I figured I'd sit next to you on the coach." 

He nodded, accepting it. "Why me?" 

You shrugged. "Because, well… as much as I love the girls, you're the only one I feel comfortable enough to… to sit next to for such a long journey." 

Again, he nodded, resisting the urge to place his hand on your calf. "I'm glad you're comfortable enough with me to do that." 

"Honestly, Sir, if you weren't my lecturer… shit," you chuckled. "I'd honestly love to be your mate." 

That made his heart sink a little. "Just mates?" 

You stuttered and stumbled, checking your phone, you saw that you had plenty of time. "Well… at first, yeah." 

Will hummed, swallowing thickly and adjusting his glasses. "Tell you what, as a mate, I'll give you a lift home after we do your assignment." 

You furrowed your brows, fighting a smile. "You'd do that?" 

He shrugged. "Mates?" 

You grinned, resisting the urge to kiss his cheek. "Mates." 

\--- 

Maths dragged by, as expected, all alone with people you hated and a lecturer who really didn't understand how you worked things out, that by the time you were allowed to leave, you were drained and exhausted; nevertheless, you trudged out of the class, and down to Will's office, letting yourself in. 

"Alright, Will?" 

Will picked up on your mood immediately. "Maths was that bad, huh?" 

You dumped your heavy, burdensome, bag on the floor and shut the door before dropping into one of his comfortable office chairs; real leather, big enough for you to curl up in and fall asleep. You yawned and nodded. "Fuckin' shite." 

Will frowned, looking at the time before offering a little smile. "If you're that tired, you can take a quick nap - I've got some things to finish up, it won't take long, but if you wanna just curl up and sleep for a bit, that's fine… they're not the most comfortable of chairs, but… they do." 

Tiredly, you nodded, getting comfortable in the cozy chair and muttering an exhausted, "cheers, Will…" 

Will consumed himself with his work for a while, typing up emails, marking papers, but when he turned to leave the room, he frowned; grabbing his thick green jacket from the hook, he draped it over your shoulders, doing his best not to smile when you immediately snuggled into it. Silently, he left the room to grab a cup of coffee, and upon his return, he was pleased to see you were still sound asleep; he knew you had issues sleeping, you had told him about it on more than one occasion, and he felt a pleasant warmth in his chest to know that you could peacefully nap in his office with him. 

Turning back to his laptop, he noticed there was an email from one of your friends that read: 

"Have you seen (Y/N)? Hasn't answered my texts, wondered if they were with you." 

Clearing his throat, Will wrote back a quick reply: 

"I'm helping (Y/N) with the assignment, I'll tell them to answer your texts ASAP." 

He looked back at you, noticing you were still cuddled up to his jacket, face pressed into the coarse fabric as you let out even breaths; he smiled a little, shaking his head before returning to his work. 

It took a couple of hours, but eventually, you stirred. 

"Will?" 

"Yeah?" He replied softly. 

"What time is it?" You asked with a long and loud yawn. 

Will checked the time on his laptop quickly. "Five thirty." 

You grumbled, snuggling back down against the chair and his coat. "Fuck…" 

He cleared his throat. "Don't worry too much about it, (y/n), I'll give you an extension on the assignment." 

Your eyes started to drift shut again. "Fuck, you're just the fuckin' best, ain't you, Sir?" 

"Only according to you," he chuckled. 

You murmured something incoherent. "Yeah, well, what I say is law."

He nearly grinned. "If you say so." 

You groaned, licking your lips. "Whose coat is this?" 

Will felt a little guilty, then. "Mine." 

You snuggled into the coat a little more. "I'm keeping it." 

"I need it," he pointed out. 

"It's comfy," you whined. "Mine." 

Although he knew that it was probably just the grogginess of sleep talking, Will shrugged. "Fine. Keep it." 

You let out a soft laugh. "See? You're the fuckin' best." 

"I'm not giving any other students my coats," he warned in a joking tone. "But, for you, I'll make an exception." 

\--- 

When you woke up properly, Will offered to drive you home again, which you accepted; the entire time, you did your best not to place your hand on his thigh, or trace his fingers on the gear stick, or rest your head on his shoulder. It was the most pleasant car ride you had been on in a while; it was quiet, but not too quiet, the radio playing softly, and Will alone made you relaxed and comfortable. 

However, when he pulled up outside your home, you invited him inside, only to frown when he politely declined. 

"I have dogs to look after," he said with more than enough hesitancy and reluctance. "Maybe another time?" 

You nodded, taking a quick look around before leaning in, and kissing his cheek. 

"Thank you, Sir, you really are the fuckin' best." 

\--- 

Cold mornings, early and dark, were never your favourite thing in the world, and as you stood outside your lecture hall, you shivered; it was minus two, at the moment, and when you caught a glimpse of Will, your lecturer, you breathed out a sigh of relief. 

"Please tell me you got a burn I can nick," you huffed, words visible in a crisp, grey, fog as they left your mouth. 

Will nodded, reaching into his pocket and producing a packet of Sterlings, handing one to you and letting you light it as he did the same. "I always bring a spare packet in case you want one." 

You smiled a little, cracked and broken - he knew you smiled much the same way he did, and it made him return the gesture as he watched you take a drag. "Bet you don't do that for all your students, Mister Graham." 

He shook his head, taking a drag and keeping his gaze on you, but never letting himself make eye contact. "I only really care about one of my students, (Y/L/N)." 

Your heart fluttered, making you bite back a grin. "Oh, yeah?" 

"Yeah," he nodded. "My favourite student." 

You raised a brow, tone teasing as you asked, "and who would that be? Bowers?" 

Will chuckled, shaking his head fondly. "No, actually, I don't know if you know them, but it's (Y/N) (Y/L/N)." 

"Oh, shut up," you chuckled taking a drag. "I've seen a couple of the lads, by the way, but no sign of any of our lot." 

Will nodded. "I've had emails from most of them saying they can't make it in - mostly because of hangovers… apparently there was a big party last night?" 

You confirmed his questioning statement. "Yeah, Jason held it - I didn't go… I mean, I ended up spending more or less the entire evening napping in your office." 

He smiled and shrugged. "Well, if it's only us - I can drive." 

You frowned. "Are you sure?" 

Will let out a hum, ashing his cigarette on the ice stained asphalt. "Yeah, I'm sure… like I said, I'll make an exception for you… I know you looked forward to this trip." 

You chuckled, rubbing the back of your neck. "Only because it got me out of maths." 

He considered his options for a second. "I could drive you home." 

You smiled at the offer. "You actually gonna stay this time, too?" 

He shrugged. "I don't see why not… I basically booked the entire day off for this trip, and you're on authorised absence because of it… so as long as no one finds out, I'd say we're okay." 

After making sure that no one else was turning in, Will drove you back to your place; he parked on the curb outside, blocking the driveway, and followed you inside, hanging his coat up on the peg in the conservatory before wandering into the kitchen with you. You took it upon yourself to make two cups of coffee, knowing exactly how he liked it, as he leaned against the counter and took in the sight of your kitchen. 

Light brown laminate floors, green marble countertops, oak cupboards with silver coloured handles, two lights with dangling switches so that the fans could be turned on or off without doing the same to the light, a Welsh dresser at one end, a grey fridge covered in various papers ranging from printed pictures to certificates and paper wristbands and tickets littering its face, held up by various magnets that showed where you had travelled in the world. London, Amsterdam, Snowdonia, Loch Ness, America. 

“So, Sir, what do you wanna do today?” You asked, handing him the hot cup of coffee and drawing his attention away from the small details of your house. 

Raising the cup to his lips, Will shrugged, and let out a hum before taking a sip, a small growl of appreciation and gratitude escaping his throat. “We could work on your assignment, if you wanted to." 

For a moment, you thought about it before nodding and clicking your fingers. "I'll go grab my laptop, make yourself at home." 

Will watched as you went up the stairs and disappeared, leaving him to walk back through the hallway and into the living room; it was cozy, a three seater leather sofa with two chairs to match, all in a dark hickory colour, pale green walls that looked white, drawn oak coloured curtains so thick they blocked out the light, he set his cup of coffee on the white mantle that proudly framed the black fireplace, and took a seat on the sofa, listening out for your footsteps. When you came back down, carrying your laptop close to your chest, Will moved over a little to make room for you, waiting patiently for you to get up the document that would contain your assignment. 

"What grade are you aiming for?" He asked, curious to know, even though he had an inkling already. 

You bit your lip, a bit nervous to admit it. "I want a distinction- I know I'm not smart enough for it, but-" 

"You're smart enough," he told you, leaving no room for argument. "Trust me, I've seen your notes - you're smart enough." 

Meeting his gaze for once, and hiding your surprise that he didn't look away, you swallowed thickly, and furrowed your brows. "You really think so, Sir?" 

Will nodded, slowly and with much thought. "Yeah, of course I do… your problem is that you overthink it more than you should, and then you get frustrated, and you give up. Without a doubt, (y/n), I'm confident that if you just relax and take it step by step, and go slowly, that you're definitely gonna get a distinction." 

You smiled a little, a thoughtful, grateful, and burdened smile. "Fuck… thanks… I mean, no one's ever… every time I've said I wanted good grades, people laugh at me and call me an idiot." 

The smallest of smiles tugged at Will's lips. "They don't know you like I do, though, I know you're smart, I know you can do anything you want." 

You looked away, gazing at your laptop screen as you allowed Will's reassurance to filter through your veins; knowing that he believed in you, and that he was certain of your abilities and skills and intelligence was unlike anything you had ever felt before… it was a kind of euphoria that only ever came with hard drugs, it made you feel confident, and gave you that extra boost that you needed as you cracked your knuckles before setting your fingers to the keyboard and started to type away. However, when you inevitably began to get stressed and frustrated, Will laid a reassuring hand on your shoulder, and told you to take a step back, and follow him into the kitchen; he lit up two cigarettes, handing one to you and doing his best not to focus on the way your hand trembled when you took it. 

"Ta…" 

"We have all day," Will said gently. "You don't have to rush it." 

You frowned a little as you took a drag and sighed heavily, a puff of smoke escaping your nostrils like the drawing of a dragon. "I know but… I feel bad for spending the day with you, outside of class, and just… spending it doing class work, y'know?" 

He shook his head, not quite meeting your gaze as he offered a small smile. "It's fine - we don't have to do it today, if you don't want to, we can leave it, and watch something on Netflix." 

\--- 

After watching a few films, having completely abandoned your laptop, you had ended up dozing off with your head in Will's lap, his hand tangled in your hair, but he had also wound up sound asleep, head lolled back so that his closed eyes were facing the ceiling, mouth agape; you were curled up, knees tucked up by your chest, peaceful at last. Moments later, though, you wriggled around, and somehow ended up cuddled up to Will with his arm around you and his lips pressed to your temple, his embrace warm and inviting as you both slept soundly. He felt so at peace with you, so relaxed and comfortable, that the darkest corners of his mind didn't quite reach the light, allowing him to soundly sleep for the first time since… he couldn't actually remember when. 

"(y/n)?" a questioning tone followed the sound of the closing front door; neither you nor Will stirred in the slightest bit, until the voice called with a surprised yelp, "oh my God!" 

Shooting upright and rubbing your eyes, you grumbled and yawned. "M-Meg?" 

Megan cleared her throat as she beamed. "Who's your new friend?" 

Will muttered something as he pulled himself away from you, his sluggish movements were caused by either grogginess or reluctance or both. "W-Will Graham…" 

"Wait…" Megan raised a brow. " _ This  _ is the famous Will-Graham-Who-Teaches-My-Class-Who-I-Wanna-Fuck?" 

Not quite fully to your senses, you leaned back into Will, and nodded. "The very same…" 

Megan gawked for a moment before shaking her head and grinning. "I'm gonna go make coffee - you two lovebirds want one?" 

You and Will nodded, and when she padded out to the kitchen, he spoke up, grumbling and groaning. "I thought you lived alone?" 

"Megan doesn't live here," you quietly and tiredly explained, "she's been a friend of mine since… years, and I gave her a spare key - for emergencies." 

"Coffee counts as an emergency?" he joked. 

"I guess it does, now." You chuckled, clinging onto him. "Before you ask, no, she didn't know I was gonna be home… Megan has a habit of just swinging by whenever - regardless of if I'm here or not." 

Will nodded, dozing off again slightly as he held you close; he knew it was wrong for him to be like this with a student, he knew that he would get fired if anyone found out - the same rules applied for situations like this with coworkers, too - but he couldn't help it. You were the first person to keep away the darkest parts of his mind when he wasn't even conscious, you made him feel as if he wasn't alone, like he was understood and like he didn't belong to his past, the tortures and weight of his own mind; you made Will Graham feel like he was stable, you made him happy, you worried him, you made him care about one individual not just one cause. Had you not been his student, he would have, without a doubt, asked you on a date long ago; but it was a forbidden love, one against the rules, if only in terms of the contract of his employment. It wasn’t long before you joined him in slumber again, only to wake up when Megan left, you didn’t hear what she said, you didn’t hear anything until the door slammed shut, having caught a draft while being closed, causing you and Will to bolt upright and pull apart. Like rabbits in headlights, you sat there, staring at one another, trying to figure out what to say; it wasn’t every day that a student and teacher quite literally slept together, cuddled up on the sofa. 

Will broke the silence, though. 

“Was I dreaming, or did Megan say I was ‘the famous Will-Graham-Who-Teaches-My-Class-Who-You-Wanna-Fuck’”? 

You gawked, squeezing your eyes shut and groaning as you nodded, ashamed and embarrassed as you raised your hands to cover your face. “Yeah, she did… and yeah, she wasn’t wrong… I’m so sorry, Sir, I-” 

“Hey,” his voice was low and gentle as he took your wrists in his hands, lowering your hands from your face so that you were looking into his perfectly blue eyes; you were far from used to eye contact with Will, but as you lost yourself in the cyan, you relaxed in his grip. “Don’t be sorry - what you say out of college is none of my business… unless if you want it to be.” 

You cracked a smile just as he looked away, scratching the back of his neck as you bit your lip, making the flesh feel raw and fresh, like it was bleeding. “Fuck, I’ve made things awkward, haven’t I?” 

Will shook his head as he pulled you up from the sofa, taking you out to the kitchen with him; he lit up a cigarette for you before heading over to the kettle and flicking it on. “Any lecturer would be flattered that someone as good looking as you wanted to fuck them - student or not.” 

You took a drag from your cigarette as you watched him prepare a cup of coffee for himself and you. “And what about you, Sir? Do you… do you, y’know… reciprocate?” 

He fell silent for a long stretch of time, long enough for the kettle to boil and to make two cups of coffee, long enough for a cigarette to be smoked and finished in the midst of foggy anxiety; eventually, he cleared his throat. “Is this confidential?” 

You shrugged. “Isn’t everything between us?” 

“Yes,” Will admitted softly. “It’s reciprocated - but… we can’t.” 

You furrowed your brows. “Why not?”

He frowned, looking at you but making sure to never once look into your eyes as he studied your features. “I’m your lecturer, (Y/n), I could lose my job - even though it seems more than worth it - and you could… it could hurt you in ways that I don’t even fully understand.” 

You let out the softest of hums. “What if we kept it a secret? I mean, what if we… y’know… but we didn’t tell anyone? No family, no friends - just us, only us.” 

“If anyone else said that, I would’ve come up with a million and one ways to shoot it down,” Will chuckled. “But for you, I’ll make an exception.” 


End file.
